Game Previews

Loudoun United FC will play their twenty-first match of the 2022 United Soccer League (USL) Championship regular season against Monterey Bay FC on Saturday, July 30 at 7:15 PM EST. This will be the first-ever matchup between the two clubs in the USL Championship.

Loudoun United News

Loudoun United FC (LUFC) enter Saturday’s matchup following a trip to Protective Stadium in Birmingham, Alabama on Wednesday, July 27. The Red-and-White fell to Birmingham Legion FC on the road, playing with 10-men.

16-year-old Kristian Fletcher recorded his first professional goal against Birmingham Legion FC. The teenager has started back-to-back games for the first time in his professional career. Skage Simonsen recorded the assist on Fletcher’s goal, he now has two assists on the season. Goalkeeper Joe Rice started his first match for Loudoun United FC since June 25, recording five saves.

Houssou Landry has been suspended for one game following his red card for serious foul play against Birmingham Legion on July 27.

Forward Abdellatif Aboukoura continues his stint on international duty with the Egyptian Youth National Team. Aboukoura made his U20 debut in Egypt’s 2-0 win over Somalia and qualified for the second round of the Arab U-20 Cup.

Head Coach Ryan Martin on Match Week 20

“For us, the focus is 100% on us in terms of being better and learning from our mistakes and growing. I think our start to [last] match wasn’t good enough, our individual defending was pretty poor, and it took too long to get into the game especially against a veteran group and we’re going to see something very similar in Monterey Bay…excited since we never played them, so it’s another opportunity to go against a team we haven’t faced yet.”

“The focus is on us and improvement. Kristian [Fletcher] scored a tremendous goal and we’re hoping to continue to build off of that. We felt as the game went along, we were better, and we were probably even better with 10 men than we were with 11. So, with young teams it’s important of, ‘can you continue to teach what a high performing player is?’ and ‘how can we help them get there and how can you do that on a consistent basis?’ So that’s been the message this week, we’re excited for the game and ‘Pathway 2 Pro’”

How can I Follow the Match?

Tickets to Saturday’s match are available now at loudoununitedfc.com. Saturday’s match will also be available to stream on ESPN+.

About Monterey Bay FC

Monterey Bay FC is 6-11-2 in their debut USL Championship season. The California-side topped New York Red Bulls II 2-0 at Cardinale Stadium. Monterey earned their third consecutive shutout against the Red Bulls. Monterey Bay FC currently holds a 2-8-0 record on the road. 

Chase Boone leads the team with six goals in 14 appearances. Boone missed the match against New York Red Bulls II due to a calf injury. Adrian Rebollar earned a spot on the bench for USL Championship’s Team of the Week for Week 20 following his performance, which included an assist, against New York.

Monterey Bay F.C.’s James Murphy has been suspended for one game following his red card for serious foul play against the New York Red Bulls II on July 23. Murphy will be unavailable for selection in Monterey Bay’s contest against Loudoun United FC on Saturday night. Murphy has played in every match this season.

Match Up History

This will be the first-ever matchup between the two clubs.

Loudoun United FC will play their twentieth match of the 2022 United Soccer League (USL) Championship regular season against Birmingham Legion FC on Wednesday, July 27 at 8:00 PM EST. This will be the second matchup against the Birmingham-side this season.

Loudoun United News

Loudoun United FC (LUFC) enter Wednesday’s matchup 1-3-1 in the last five outings. The Red-and-White were defeated at home against Miami FC following a game winning goal in stoppage time. The match was delayed over an hour due to inclement weather.

This will be Loudoun United’s second midweek matchup of the 2022 USL Championship season. The only other Wednesday matchup was a victory for LUFC on June 8 against New York Red Bulls II.

Abdoul Zanne recorded his second goal of the season in the 13^th minute of the match. Kristian Fletcher started his first professional match for Loudoun United FC, recording three shots in 65 minutes. Midfielder Jeremy Garay claimed his 50^th appearance for the club. The homegrown D.C. United signing has one assist in nine appearances this season.

Head Coach Ryan Martin on the Upcoming Match

“This Wednesday match comes at a great time because you don’t have a whole lot of time to dwell on mistakes or anything that may have gone wrong in the last match…Birmingham is one of the more talented teams in the league. Tremendous quality in almost every position [with their] size and athleticism. They are well coached by [Head Coach] Tom [Soehn]. It is going to be a very hard challenge, but we are looking forward to it. We’ve had a very tight game here [at Segra Field] when we played them last time and for us, it’s ‘can we continue to be dangerous in the attack’, ‘can we keep our structure’, ‘can we be ruthless in front of goal’ and try to win the restart battle. If we can do that then we think we can have a decent outing.”

How can I Follow the Match?

Wednesday’s match will be available to stream on ESPN+.

About Birmingham Legion FC

Birmingham Legion FC are 9-6-5 in the 2022 USL Championship. Birmingham have struggled at Protective Stadium, only winning three out of 10 matches. The last match at Protective Stadium was a 0-2 loss for Birmingham Legion against FC Tulsa. Birmingham is 2-2-1 in their last five outings.

Enzo Martinez leads the frontline with six goals in 20 appearances. Goalkeeper Matt Van Oekel has recorded eight clean sheets in 19 appearances (T-1^st in league).

On Tuesday, the USL Championship announced the second yellow card issued to Birmingham Legion FC defender Ryan James on Saturday night during the club’s contest against FC Tulsa had been overturned by the Independent Review Panel. The decision will allow James to be available for selection against Loudoun United FC.

Match Up History

This will be the fourth matchup between the two clubs. The last matchup between the two eastern conference opponents was Sunday, April 24 at Segra Field. The matchup ended 1-2 in favor of the visitors. Loudoun played with 10-men for 20 minutes after a red card in the 71^st minute. Abdoul Zanne recorded his first goal with LUFC in the 80^th minute.

Loudoun United FC will play their nineteenth match of the 2022 United Soccer League (USL) Championship regular season against the Miami FC on Saturday, July 23 at 7:15 PM EST. This will be the second matchup against the Florida-side this season.

Loudoun United News

Loudoun United FC (LUFC) enter Saturday’s matchup undefeated in four of the last five matches at home. The last outing for Loudoun United FC was a loss against second place Eastern Conference opponents Tampa Bay Rowdies on Saturday, July 16. The match was undecided until the 64^th minute when the Rowdies were the first to get on the scoresheet. Tyler Freeman scored his fifth goal of the season in the 79^th minute and is now Loudoun United’s leading goal scorer.

Midfielder Nicky Downs leads the team in minutes played this season (1,544), starting in every match for LUFC. Downs holds a 92.3% passing accuracy with a team-high 921 passes.

D.C. United Academy and Loudoun United forward Abdellatif Aboukoura is on international duty with the U-20 Egypt National Team in Saudi Arabia for the Arab Cup through the beginning of August.

On Wednesday, July 20, Loudoun United found a plethora of players on D.C. United’s roster against FC Bayern Munich. Dane Jacomen, Skage Simonsen and Abdoul Zanne were amongst the players that made an appearance. Skage Simonsen scored his first D.C. United goal in the 54^th minute against the European giants. Also on the scoresheet was Ted Ku-DiPietro, who played for Loudoun United from 2019-2021. After three seasons with Loudoun, Ku-DiPietro signed a Homegrown contract with D.C. United ahead of the 2022 season.

Head Coach Ryan Martin on Upcoming Match

“Not only is Miami a tremendous test at home for us but it is an opportunity to win the season series. [Head Coach] Anthony does a great job, and they have a very experienced side, so it will be a difficult challenge. For us, it’s really about improving, bouncing back and getting the details right to improve from our last performance.”

How can I Follow the Match?

Tickets to Saturday’s match are available now at loudoununitedfc.com/singlegametickets. Saturday’s match will also be available to stream on ESPN+.

About The Miami FC

The Miami FC are 7-7-7 in the 2022 USL Championship. The Miami FC are in seventh place in the Eastern Conference standings with 28 points. On Saturday, the Miami FC became the first USL Championship club to reach 10 shutouts this season in a 0-0 draw with Orange County SC.

 Head Coach Anthony Pullis made multiple changes to his starting eleven including goalkeeper Jake McGuire and defenders Ben Ofeimu and Callum Chapman-Page starting the match. Center-back Paco Craig and goalkeeper Connor Sparrow were rested. Midfielder Richard Ballard started his first match of the season after making consecutive substitution appearances against Pittsburgh and Charleston.

Match Up History

This will be the fifth matchup between the two clubs. The last matchup between the two eastern conference rivals was Saturday, Mar. 26 at FIU Stadium. The match ended in a 0-0 draw. Loudoun United FC are 1-1-0 at home against the Miami club.

Loudoun United FC will play their eighteenth match of the 2022 United Soccer League (USL) Championship regular season against the Tampa Bay Rowdies on Saturday, July 16 at 7:15 PM EST. This will be the seventh time the two eastern conference rivals have faced off in the USL Championship regular season.

Loudoun United News

Coming off a bye-week, Loudoun United FC (LUFC) enter Saturday’s matchup 2-2-1 in their last five matches. The Red-and-White are currently undefeated in their last four matches at Segra Field.

The last outing for Loudoun United FC was against FC Tulsa on Saturday, July 3. Defender Jalen Robinson found his name on the score sheet in the seventh minute to put Loudoun ahead. His goal marked his second career goal in the USL Championship. It also marked the longest number of days between goals in the league’s history, with the center back’s prior goal having come while on loan at the Richmond Kickers from D.C. United in the 2015 Championship season in a draw against Wilmington Hammerheads FC. 2,654 days later, Robinson once again found the back of the net in a draw. The mark broke the prior longest stretch that was held by Rodrigo Lopez (1,835 days).

Tyler Freeman scored his fourth goal in 10 appearances against FC Tulsa. Midfielder Nicky Downs is the only player to have appeared in every game for Loudoun United this season. The midfielder recorded his second assist of the season against FC Tulsa. Midfielder Michael Gamble currently leads Loudoun United with three assists. On the opposite end of the pitch, goalkeeper Luis Zamudio recorded his second penalty save of the season.

Midfielder Abdellatif Aboukoura has recently been called up to the Egypt National Football Team for the 2022 Arab Cup U20. The tournament will run from July 20 to August 5. The Egyptian international currently has four goals in seven appearances for LUFC.

 “It’s always an honor to represent the national team,” said forward Abdellatif Aboukoura. “I’m really excited for my first FIFA tournament. I’m looking forward to coming back with some silverware and finishing the season strong with Loudoun United.”

In addition to Aboukoura’s stint with the national team, Loudoun United’s defender Sami Guediri has been promoted to a first team contract with D.C. United. Guediri has been featured in five matches across all competitions for the Black-and-Red.

Head Coach Ryan Martin on Upcoming Match

“After a few days off the guys are mentally prepared to push this second half of the season. There are no easy games and Tampa is one of the biggest clubs out there. They are well coached so it will be a huge test at home.”

How can I Follow the Match?

Tickets to Saturday’s match are available now at loudoununitedfc.com/singlegametickets. Saturday’s match will also be available to stream on ESPN+.

About Tampa Bay Rowdies

The Tampa Bay Rowdies claimed victory on Saturday, July 9 versus Hartford Athletic at Dillon Stadium to extend their unbeaten streak to nine matches. The Rowdies earned a penalty in the dying moments of the match, which was converted by midfielder Leo Fernandes to seal a 3-2 result.

The Tampa-based club are currently 10-3-6 in the 2022 USL Championship season and have found success on the road with a record of 4-1-4, falling only to Eastern Conference second place Memphis 901 FC. Leo Fernandes and Jake LaCava are tied with nine goals. Goalkeeper C.J. Cochran has recorded five clean sheets in 15 appearances.

Defender Jordan Scarlett has been suspended for one game following his red card for serious foul play against Hartford Athletic on July 9. Scarlett will be unavailable for selection on Saturday. Jordan Scarlett has appeared in 18 of the possible 19 matches for the Rowdies.

 Match Up History

This will be the seventh matchup in USL Championship history. The Red-and-White are 1-2-0 at home against the Rowdies. The last match was a 1-0 win for the visitors at Segra Field on Saturday, Oct. 23 in the 2021 USL regular season.

Loudoun United FC will play their seventeenth match of the 2022 United Soccer League (USL) Championship regular season against FC Tulsa on Sunday, July 3 at 7:30 PM EST. The two eastern conference opponents clash at Segra field for the first time in USL Championship history.

Loudoun United News

As June draws to a close, Loudoun United FC (LUFC) are 2-2-1 in the last five matches. The red-and-white are undefeated in their last three matches at Segra Field. Loudoun’s last match was on Saturday, June 25 against Orange County SC. The reigning USL champions defeated LUFC 1-3. Skage Simonsen recorded his second goal of the 2022 USL Championship season. D.C. United Academy forward Abdellatif Aboukoura has recorded three goals and one assist in his last four matches with the club.

Loudoun United recently announced the addition of Mattar M’Boge as assistant coach. M’Boge has found success as a coach at various levels within the Gambian National Team. He is currently the head coach for the U-23 Men’s Gambian National Team.

“We are excited to welcome Mattar to Loudoun United; he has tremendous experience and success coaching elite youth players with the Gambian National Team,” said Head Coach Ryan Martin. “He brings all the personal values that I like to have in my staff. He is hardworking, loves the game, and always wants to learn and get better. He truly believes in the process-oriented approach to player development.”

How can I Follow the Match?

Tickets to Sunday’s match are available now at loudoununitedfc.com/singlegametickets. Sunday’s match will also be available to stream on ESPN+.

About FC Tulsa

FC Tulsa is currently 5-10-3 in the 2022 USL Championship season. The Oklahoma-based team is 9^th in the Eastern Conference standings with 18 points, leading Loudoun United by four points with two games in hand. Tulsa has yet to win a game away from ONEOK Field. This past Tuesday, FC Tulsa traveled to Toyota field and fell to San Antonio FC 1-2. J.J. Williams recorded a goal in the 36^th minute of the match, however San Antonio scored two goals within two minutes of the second half for a comeback win.

 J.J. Williams leads the team with eight goals from 18 appearances. FC Tulsa have recorded three clean sheets this season between goalkeeper Austin Wormell (2) and Sean Lewis (1).

FC Tulsa announced on the departure of Head Coach Michael Nsien. Assistant coach and former Jamaica international Donovan Ricketts has since been promoted as interim Head Coach.

 Match Up History

This will be the first matchup between the two clubs in USL Championship.

Loudoun United FC will play their sixteenth match of the 2022 United Soccer League (USL) Championship regular season against Orange County SC on Saturday, June 25th at 8:00 PM EST. This will be the first meeting between the two clubs in the USL Championship.

Loudoun United News

Loudoun United FC (LUFC) made a statement with a 4-3 win over Phoenix Rising FC. Abdellatif Aboukoura recorded a brace, while Tyler Freeman and Sami Guediri scored one goal apiece. LUFC have recently picked up seven points out of a possible 12 points in the last four matches.

Aboukoura and Guediri landed themselves in the USL Championship Team of the Week for Week 15. Guediri recorded one goal on two shots and had two chances created while completing 28 of 38 passes and winning 5 of 7 tackles in Saturday’s match.

“Sami [Guediri] has been one of our more attacking threats all season and one of the main conversations we’ve been having is how does that translate to goals and assists,” said Head Coach Ryan Martin. “He had a fantastic goal and plenty of chances created so it’s starting to come to fruition.”

Aboukoura notched a pair of goals while completing 20 of 26 passes and making nine recoveries defensively. The 17-year-old finished in second place for Player of the Week for Week 15.

“Incredibly proud of both guys, especially [Abdellatif] “Bouchy” [Aboukoura] who is a young player that has really made the most of his opportunities in the recent weeks,” said Head Coach Ryan Martin. “Tremendous goals, obviously, but he continues to work and get better every day.

How can I Follow the Match?

Saturday’s match will also be available to stream on ESPN+.

Head Coach Ryan Martin on Upcoming Match:

“We look forward to another great opportunity to play the defending champions at their place, we talk about consistency being key to top players and teams…this is a chance to put together a great performance against a top team!”

About Orange County SC

Orange County SC is currently 3-7-5 in the 2022 USL Championship season. The reigning USL champions have lost their last four matches and are winless in their last six. Erick Torres and Milan Iloski are OC’s top goalscorers (7). Orange County’s last win was on Friday, May 13 against FC Tulsa at Championship Soccer Stadium.

Orange County SC recently transferred Kobi Henry to Stade de Reims in France. The teenage sensation was part of the largest transfer deal in the history of United Soccer League. Defender Ahmed Longmire recently joined the team on loan from MLS side Nashville SC.

Match Up History

Orange County SC host Loudoun United FC for the first time in the USL Championship.

Loudoun United FC will play their fifteenth match of the 2022 United Soccer League (USL) Championship regular season against Phoenix Rising FC on Saturday, June 18th at 7:30 PM EST. This will be the first meeting between the two clubs in the USL Championship.

Loudoun United News

Loudoun United FC come off their first two-game week of the season. On Wednesday, June 8, Loudoun United defeated New York Red Bulls II to complete the season sweep. Abdellatif Aboukoura scored the game winner and his second goal of the season. Goalkeeper Luis Zamudio recorded three saves and a clean sheet which awarded him Loudoun United’s record for most clean sheets (overall and single- season). On Saturday, June 11, LUFC fell to Atlanta United 2 on the road. Loudoun United held 62% possession on the night and lead 5-3 in shots on target.

Defender Jalen Robinson was named to the USL Championship Team of the Week Bench for his weekend performance. Robinson recorded 135 minutes, 14 tackles won, and an 88% passing accuracy. Forward Tyler Freeman is up for selection on Saturday, after sustaining an injury in late April.

How can I Follow the Match?

Tickets to the match are available now at loudoununitedfc.com/singlegametickets. Saturday’s match will also be available to stream on ESPN+.

Head Coach Ryan Martin on Upcoming Match:

“We are excited to welcome and play Phoenix Rising for the first time in franchise history. The Phoenix side is well coached and has had tremendous success over the years. It’ll be a tough battle; they are a team that likes to play and build so it should be a fun match for the fans. For us, we look to win both boxes including efficient defending and searching for that early goal. “

About Phoenix Rising

Phoenix Rising is currently 7-7-0 in the USL Championship this season. The Phoenix side are 1-4 in their last 5 matches including losing their last two against El Paso Locomotive and Birmingham Legion FC. Midfielders James Musa and Aodhan Quinn are back in the mix this weekend after returning from injuries.

The Phoenix side has a plethora of talent going forward, as they lead the league in overall shots (242). Greg Hurst and Luis Seijas lead the team with five goals apiece. Phoenix Rising recently signed midfielder Irakoze “Koze” Donasiyano on loan from MLS side Nashville SC for the remainder of the USL Championship season.

Defender Manuel Madrid has been suspended for one game following his red card for denial of a goalscoring opportunity against El Paso Locomotive FC on June 11. Madrid will be unavailable for selection.

Match Up History

Loudoun United host Phoenix Rising at Segra Field for the first time in the USL Championship.

Loudoun United FC will play their fourteenth match of the 2022 United Soccer League (USL) regular season against Atlanta United 2 on Saturday, June 11th at 7:30 PM EST. This will be the Red-and-White’s seventh away match of the season. Loudoun and Atlanta are currently tied 1-1-0 in head-to-head matchups.

Loudoun United News

Loudoun United come off a 1-0 win over New York Red Bulls II. Abdellatif Aboukoura scored the game winner and his second goal of the season. Goalkeeper Luis Zamudio recorded three saves and a clean sheet. Zamudio now holds Loudoun United’s single-season record for most clean sheets. Three D.C. United academy players were featured in Wednesday’s match including 15-year-old Gavin Turner who made his professional debut against the Red Bulls. Rio Hope-Gund will be available for selection after serving his one-match suspension this past Wednesday.

How can I Follow the Match?

Saturday’s match will be available to stream on ESPN+. The official watch party for Loudoun United FC will be held at House 6 Brewing Company.

Head Coach Ryan Martin on Upcoming Match:

“Another big test ahead for us by going on the road to face a very talented Atlanta side. The team is very similar to us, in terms of shifting through different players each week from their first team and academy side. Atlanta is a very attacking style team; a lot of their past matches were high scoring games, and it will be a very interesting test for our side. It will be a great opportunity and challenge to see how we can recover from the Capital Cup and Wednesday’s match to compete on Saturday. “

About Atlanta United 2

Atlanta United 2 are currently 2-10-1 in the USL Championship. The Atlanta side are currently on a 4-game losing streak after a 5-2 loss against Memphis 901 FC on Saturday, June 4. Captain Robbie Mertz and Andy Sullins found the back of the net for Atlanta. Mertz scored his third goal in two games while Sullins recorded his first Atlanta United 2 goal and made his professional debut in Saturday’s match. Jackson Conway currently leads the team in goals (4) while Justin Garces and Vincente Reyes are tied in saves (17) in the USL Championship.

Match Up History

Loudoun United and Atlanta United 2 are currently tied 1-1-0 head-to-head. The last match up was a 4-2 win for the Atlanta side at Fifth Third Stadium in August of 2019. Jacob Greene was the only current Loudoun United player to appear in the match.

Loudoun United FC will play their thirteenth match of the 2022 United Soccer League (USL) regular season against New York Red Bulls II on Wednesday, June 8th at 7:15 PM EST at Segra Field. This will be the Red-and-White’s seventh home match of the season. Wednesday’s matchup will be the second time these two teams face-off in the USL Championship this season with Loudoun United defeating New York 3-0 in the first go-around. Wednesday’s match is Pride Night at Segra Field. The night will include a “fireside” chat with Equality Loudoun, informative concourse tables and $2 beers (Coors Light and Miller Lite) through halftime.

Loudoun United News

Loudoun United come off a 1-1 draw against Charleston Battery on Saturday, May 28 at Segra Field. Alexander Dexter scored his first professional goal in his professional debut from Skage Simonsen’s first assist of the season. Loudoun United currently sits 12 points off of playoff contention with 66 points left to play for in the 2022 USL Championship season. Rio Hope-Gund will be unavailable for selection in Wednesday’s match due to red card suspension.

How can I Follow the Match?

Tickets are available now at www.loudoununitedfc.com/tickets. Wednesday’s match will also be available to stream on ESPN+.

Head Coach Ryan Martin on Upcoming Match:

“We look forward to playing a rivalry match and continue to improve from our last game to this one. The players have had great opportunities to get minutes in international competition, so they are raring to go.”

About New York Red Bulls II

New York Red Bulls II is currently 1-10-2 and in 13th place in the USL Eastern Conference. The Red Bulls sit three points behind Loudoun United in the standings. Wednesday’s opponents recently tied San Diego Loyal SC 2-2 on Friday, June 3 at Red Bull Arena. New York opened the scoring from a Caden Clark goal in the 16^th minute. Sam Williams doubled the lead for Red Bulls II less than 10 minutes later. The visitors evened the score line in the 88^th minute.

New York Red Bulls II is currently last in goals scored and have only kept a clean sheet once this USL Championship season. Jordan Adebayo-Smith currently leads the team with three goals in 12 appearances while O’Vonte Mullings leads the team with three assists in 11 appearances. Steven Sserwadda recently logged minutes with the Uganda national team in the AFCON Qualifier and will miss Wednesday’s match.

Match Up History

Loudoun United is 4-4-1 overall against New York Red Bulls II. The Red-and-White last faced off with the Red Bulls on March 19, 2022, at MSU Soccer Park. The match ended 3-0 in favor of the visiting team. Defender Christopher Cragwell was shown a red card in the 26^th minute of the game. Forward Tyler Freeman went on to score two goals in the span of eight minutes. Winger Jacob Greene scored his second career goal against New York. This will be the tenth time the teams meet in the USL Championship regular season.